


To Walk A Million Miles, Just To Get Punched In The Gut

by QueenOfTheWesternSky



Category: Homestuck
Genre: And everyone was sad, Gen, In Which Jake was Lord English
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfTheWesternSky/pseuds/QueenOfTheWesternSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It hadn’t even crossed his mind that anyone other than the Batterwitch would be the final boss of their game. Much less that the final boss, the big bad who was out to get them all and reign terror on their session, destroy their universe and all that other megalomania bullshit, was one of his best friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Walk A Million Miles, Just To Get Punched In The Gut

In all of the scenarios he’d run, Dirk had never even thought this would happen. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that anyone other than the Batterwitch would be the final boss of their game. Much less that the final boss, the big bad who was out to get them all and reign terror on their session, destroy their universe and all that other megalomania bullshit, was one of his best friends. Of course he hadn’t thought about it. The idea of one of them, one of their own, betraying them—no, this wasn’t a betrayal. This was losing someone to a horrible disease, a last ditch effort of the game to keep them from winning. He’d never accuse a friend of betrayal. Especially not him. It didn’t even process in his mind, the idea of him having done this on purpose refused to even manifest in his mind.

Jake had been a good person, an even better friend. And now he was just gone. That thing, whatever it was, wasn’t him. It didn’t even look like him anymore.

Dirk was a little glad of that. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be capable of destroying a monster that had Jake’s face. Not even for the greater good or whatever the fuck they all claimed they were fighting for now. Jane said she had to right her wrongs, now that she knew the truth behind the empire she’d once adored. Roxy said, in the most serious voice he’d ever heard her use, that nothing and no one took a friend from her, and that she’d destroy that thing, and whoever else was responsible, for taking Jake from them.

But before the final epic battle they’d been preparing for, practicing their god tier powers, perfecting their fighting skills, hand to hand and with weapons, they had another small thing that had to be dealt with: Their allies.

It wasn’t until the morning they were due to arrive that Dirk ever really gave any thought to their arrival. Since all this happened, he hadn’t really thought about meeting the guy who was supposed to be his brother, or Roxy’s mother. But on that morning, when he rose at dawn, just like every other morning it occurred to him.

Along with his brother, Roxy’s mother and Jane’s grandfather, would be Jake’s grandmother. She would arrive waiting to see her last remaining relative, the last fragment of the life she’d once led. Jake English. And now someone was going to have to tell her that there was nothing left of him. That he was dead and gone no matter what they did. Jake had talked about her before, both of her incarnations. He spoke fondly of his grandmother, how much he’d loved her. And spoke excitedly about the girl who was her past incarnation, a girl named Jade.

She’d be their age. Just a teenager. A teenager who wanted to see her loved ones.

Dirk ended up almost throwing up what measly food he’d managed to get down the night before. Jesus Fuck, he should have thought about this. But he didn’t have a plan. There was no logic or solution to this problem. There was just going to be him and a girl he’d never met, who didn’t even know she’d lost what she’d come so far to find.

He couldn’t ask Jane or Roxy to tell her. No, Jane still started bawling every time someone so much as mentioned Jake and Roxy had been even more drunk since his demise. If he wasn’t so lost in grief, he probably would have been a fuckload more worried about her drinking. When he finally pulled himself together, he’d make sure to take better care of her. And Jane. He swore he would.

But pretty soon, they were walking towards them. Every bit as legendary as he’d heard. They looked fierce, calm and ready for anything. Not a pack of kids, not some players in a game. They really did look like the gods they were. He could easily pick out who was who.

There was a lithe woman in an orange gown, a hood covering her face and a layer of black lipstick over her lips, which were shaped exactly like Roxy’s. That had to be her, Rose Lalonde. The Seer of Light, Roxy (As well as technically his) biological mother. There was a look of contempt about her, like she knew exactly what she was doing. Completely unshakable.

Next to her was a man in blue garb, with the longest and most ridiculous hood he’d ever seen, hovering just a few inches above the ground, as if to reinforce to them just how strong he was. There was something ridiculously familiar about the way his hair stuck up. Jane. That had to be Jane’s grandfather, John Egbert, the Heir of Breath. Supposedly he was their leader.

It was obvious who the next man was. Clad in bright red time pajamas, a long cape flowing behind him and a pair of aviator shades covering his eyes. He looked arrogant, like he was in control of everything around them. Dirk didn’t really know what the extent of his abilities were, so it was entirely possible that this guy, his Bro, Dave Strider, The Knight of Time, did have control of everything around them. As far as he did know, he controlled time. Manipulated it to his will.

And then there was her. Not very tall, but with a presence that commanded respect. Even if Dirk was having a hard time getting over the dog ears peeking out from her hood. She looked like him, right down to the dorky little smile, which seemed to be creeping onto her face. It made him sick to the stomach. She looked like she was about to burst with excitement and energy. Just like Jake. So she had to be Jade Harley, the Witch of Space. Jake’s grandmother.

For what had to be the seventh time that day, Dirk’s stomach lurched as her smile fell. So she just realised there were only three of them awaiting their arrival. And it only took a glance to tell who was missing. He saw the panic set into her eyes. Somehow, when he’d pictured this moment, he thought of a lot of happy reunions. Roxy would finally ask her mother all those questions she’d been wanting to. Jane would get to see her poppop again. He’d finally get to meet the legend that was his brother. Jake would get to see his beloved grandmother again. And everything would be okay.

He didn’t expect this. He never expected to be the one delivering her this news. He never thought he’d have to deliver this news. And most certainly, he didn’t expect what happened next. Before he had a chance to regain his composure, she was in front of him. It seemed she’d gotten the impression that he ran the show around here, which was more or less true and now she was demanding answers.

“Where’s Jake?”

The air went cold. Jane hiccupped in an attempt to cover the oncoming sobs, Roxy shut her eyes and turned her head. Then his Bro, Dave he supposed he should call him, had his hand on her shoulder. “Jade, cool it. I’m sure little Harley or whatever the fuck he’s called is around.”

This wasn’t anything like he’d wanted it to be. Dirk cleared his throat and then very curtly began,

“Jake’s gone. That monster you encountered, Lord English, was a parasite of some sort, it took over Jake’s body, mutated him to the point where we weren’t even sure what he was anymore. Jake is more or less dead.” Yeah, real nice Strider, hiding behind some technical emotionless lingo. His best friend was dead. And he was trying to make the whole thing sound scientific.

Her face went pale. More pale than his brother (Who must have never seen the fucking sun). Like a goddamn ghost. “N-No. You’re lying. You have to be. Where’s Jake?” The panic was slipping into her voice and now Jane was crying behind him.

“Jake was infected with that thing, and now he’s gone. There was nothing any of us could do to stop it.” What he learned then, and never forgot, was that angry space gods are a lot stronger than they look, especially if they are in the form of an incredibly distressed teenage girl. In fact he was pretty damn sure a few ribs got cracked.

“That thing isn’t him!” She screamed. And only then did it occur to him that if anyone ever could kill him, it would probably be one of these guys. “It can’t be him!”

And then she was crying into his Bro’s shoulder, wailing in a way that sounded so very fucking painful. She really had come all this way, metaphorically walked a thousand miles, just to get punched in the gut at the finish line.

He wished he’d thought about this. He wished he had a plan for when something like this happened. He felt so numb, so very fucking numb. Not even his possibly broken ribs were troubling him any. He shut his eyes behind his shades, not listening to anything. Not to Jade Harley, who was still crying angrily into Dave’s shoulder, not to Jane Crocker, who was weeping for the twenty seventh time since they lost Jake, not to John Egbert, who had a hand on his ecto sister’s shoulder, whispering comforts to her. Not even to his best bro, Roxy Lalonde, who was pleading for him to help her with Jane, who appeared to be having something of a break down.

Dirk Strider had fucked up, and he had fucked up bad. And now, one of the few, so very few, people he gave a damn about was either dead or suffering a fate much worse than death. 

_‘I’m really fucking sorry, Jake.’_

**Author's Note:**

> I don't generally like the whole Jake-is-Lord-English thing because it's not generally true but I was inspired. Originally Jade was going to slap Dirk, but that'd be a little mean.


End file.
